Okinawa urges PM to scrap U.S. base move plan before key anniversary

James,

Scrapping the relocation plan just means they stay where they are. The US has no intention of leaving Okinawa.

Commodore Matthew Perry, who pried open the door of a secluded Japan, recommended his superiors that Okinawa be occupied and made a beachhead for the U.S. forces to advance to the Asian continent.

This is nothing but evil imperialism -- trying to usurp other countries and regions just for its own sake. Do you ever advocate the law of the jungle that was taken for granted in the 19th and early 20th centuries?

The argument is that the base should be totally eliminated and not moved to the landfill at Camp Schwab, so the people of Ginowan have to suffer it's existence longer, because Denny and all the politicians do not know how to negotiate a deal!

They have a pretty crappy hand to try and negotiate with. If you read the treaty for returning Okinawa it pretty much reads that US can maintain it's bases until they decide they aren't needed.

Scrapping the relocation plan just means they stay where they are. The US has no intention of leaving Okinawa.

Guam? Relocating the bases to Guam would be like frantically waving a white flag and ringing a dinner bell both at the same time.

FYI. Below is my comment on another thread.

Can China’s assertiveness in the East China Sea be the reason why U.S. bases in Okinawa must be fortified and strengthened? In particular, is it a must for the Henoko new base, a so-called replacement for USMC Air Station Futenma, to be built by all means?

Is the Henoko relocation the only solution for the Futenma issue? To me, this new base seems a white elephant or a junk for a Marine expeditionary force to deal with the volatile situation in the East China Sea involving China's naval activities.

The reasons why I think so are three-fold:

One: the most active elements of the Okinawa-deployed Marines are to relocate to Guam, that is being made the hub of the U.S. military in the western Pacific.

Two: Tokyo and Washington have recently agreed that primary responsibility to defend outlying islands rests with JSDF, not USFJ, so that Japan, in compliance with this bilateral agreement, has built missile bases on major islands in the archipelago west of Kyushu. At the same time, JSDF has installed their own Marines that often engage in joint amphibious military exercises with U.S. Marines. Maybe, the U.S. Marines are imparting their knowhow of amphibious warfare to JSDF.

Three: military technology seems to be advancing so fast that there is no room for the Marines to be engaged in conventional warfare.  The reason why the Russian forces in Ukraine have trouble advancing to hinterland may be because of this.

Make up ur mind! Do u really want the US bases away from residential homes or not? Then why do u oppose its move to Henoko? If the bases don’t move, then it stays there in the middle of Ginowan city.

whether the bases move or not, Okinawa is doomed because it has no industry, no agriculture, no manufacturing, no tourism, no nothing. Okinawa is paying for her sins.

One, Okinawa has a multi-billion dollar tourism industry. It is the MAJOR industry in Okinawa.

The argument is that the base should be totally eliminated and not moved to the landfill at Camp Schwab, so the people of Ginowan have to suffer it's existence longer, because Denny and all the politicians do not know how to negotiate a deal!

One other thing..... pray tell, what "sins" is Okinawa guilty of?

The new documents were drawn up based on the proposals compiled by the Ryukyu government in 1971 that called for creating a peaceful island without military bases.

Hence a 15 minute meeting. Only held because Denny is a pref Gov. It too that long because after the appropriate greetings, a bunch of bows, for the cameras, and Denny handing the proposal off to Kishida, they had to repeat the bows before leaving.

Basically an "in and out" type of event!

Oh and regurgitating proposals from 50 years ago, one's that were in fact REJECTED, is not the way to get someone's attention.

But the long-stalled plan has met strong opposition from a majority of Okinawa residents who want the base to be moved outside the prefecture, which already hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan.

Again, more false propaganda! Go review the numbers from the referendum on the topic and one will find that the MAJORITY of the electorate in Okinawa are either FOR the bases, or are apathetic to the existence of the bases here, because they didnt vote either way.

It's playing games with facts to push an anti-base agenda!

Make up ur mind! Do u really want the US bases away from residential homes or not? Then why do u oppose its move to Henoko? If the bases don’t move, then it stays there in the middle of Ginowan city.

whether the bases move or not, Okinawa is doomed because it has no industry, no agriculture, no manufacturing, no tourism, no nothing. Okinawa is paying for her sins.

NOT IN MY BACKYARD! Everyone yells. A solution is for the JP government to subsidize migration of natives from Okinawa to the mainland. This should not include those who migrate from mainland to Okinawa who THEN decide to leave. (There is this common law reasoning that also applies here, known as "coming to the nuisance" -- if you know there is a nuisance but still come nevertheless to exploit some opportunity or to enjoy its positives, then you must have taken everything into consideration and ought not complain and there should be no compensation.)

It's all about what's best for national security. If you were to remove every military base from Okinawa, then the Chinese Navy would be circling Okinawa repeating the Sekaku Islands Scenario except with Okinawa.

Yeah, sure buddy. We'll just cancel it all, but you have to call china and tell them to stop with their plans for Taiwan.

Misawa Air Base (Air Force)

Yokota Air Base (Air Force)

US Fleet Activities Yokosuka (Navy) 

Naval Air Facility Atsugi (Navy)

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni (Marine Corps) 

US Fleet Activities Sasebo (Navy)

Also, Combined Arms Training Center Camp Fuji.

Release control of Okinawa by the Japanese government.

Then Okinawa and the Ryukyu government can negotiate with the USA military and negotiate with China.

RodneyToday  10:07 am JST

Japan, um, Tokyo, will never allow major bases on mainland soil.

Misawa Air Base (Air Force)

in Misawa, Aomori Prefecture  

Yokota Air Base (Air Force)

in Fussa, Tokyo 

US Fleet Activities Yokosuka (Navy) 

in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture 

Naval Air Facility Atsugi (Navy)

in Ayase, Kanagawa Prefecture 

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni (Marine Corps) 

in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture 

US Fleet Activities Sasebo (Navy)

Japan, um, Tokyo, will never allow major bases on mainland soil. The increasing possibility of an American war with China will involve nukes, so like the Pacific War, sacrifice Okinawa for the best of Tokyo.

Gov Tamaki needs to try a new strategy. Repeatedly running as fast as he can into a concrete wall isn't working. Maybe he should concentrate on making life better for the Okinawan people. How about improving the schools, bringing in businesses that will provide good-paying jobs for Okinawans, reducing child poverty, etc. You know, all those things he's been avoiding for the past three years. Reducing the number of bases isn't going to make life better it will just provide land for some big companies to build on.

This makes, what? Five straight issues of JT with a similar bend to the Okinawa base / utilization question? Color me jaded on the journalism aspect, but I'm getting to think that the newspaper has an opinion on this issue. Anyone else see it?

I'm surprised Gov Tamaki even got a whole 15 minutes. Unless China's CCP dictatorship collpases and it becomes a nornal friendly country, Okinawa is going to be saddled with a US military presence. If the US pulled out, then it would just turn into a JSDF presence. Futenma needs to be moved, it poses a risk to the people being smack in the middle of a city. Both Japan and US have agreed to that decades ago. Short sighted or those inflenced by JP/US adversaries have turned it into an offensve to remove the base completely.

What's the point of a military base if POTUS thinks sanctions solve all the problems.